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Jaguar Land Rover’s investment

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) showed its commitment to the UK market when they invested £520 million in a modern engine plant in the i54 business park. It opened in October 2014 and has created 1,000 automotive jobs to date. The site is used to manufacture the new Ingenium four-cylinder diesel engines that are being installed in many different Jaguar models and the new Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The engine plant is split into three parts: the machining hall, the diesel assembly hall and the petrol engine assembly hall. The first of these is home to a wide range of automation machinery and only has a small staff of supervisors and maintenance staff. The diesel assembly hall is host to a much larger workforce with 180 people working in it on each shift. There are plans to introduce a third shift that will see the facility operating around the clock.

The petrol assembly hall is currently being prepared so that production can begin. The aim is for the first test engines to be ready in the months leading up to Christmas so that full production can start in 2016.

The extra shift in the diesel hall and production beginning on petrol engines will eventually take the plant to its target of creating 1,400 jobs. Once this occurs, there are plans to expand the facility and workforce further so that eventually an engine will be produced every 36 seconds.

The investment won’t stop there, though. Plans are already being made to build a second facility beside the current plant. JLR is expected to apply for planning permission for a 900,000 sq ft factory in the next coming month. If successful, construction could begin in 2016 with the opening to follow in 2017. The plans would see even more jobs created.

The UK has a thriving automotive sector, excelling in both manufacturing, design and support services too. If you are looking for an exciting career, there are plenty of opportunities in this industry. At John Gibson Associates we specialise in automotive recruitment and can help you to find amazing opportunities.